A look at football players in the Pac-12 this spring who are poised to have standout seasons this fall:
ARIZONA STATE
QB Jayden Daniels, junior. Daniels was superb as a freshman, but wasn’t quite the same last season as the Sun Devils battled COVID-19 issues and broke in young receivers. Daniels won’t have the same problems this season, so expect him to return to being one of the nation’s top dual-threat quarterbacks.
ARIZONA
WR Stanley Berryhill III, junior. The speedy wideout returns after leading the Wildcats with 23 receptions, 227 yards and and three touchdowns in five games last season. Berryhill entered the transfer portal and was headed to Ball State after coach Kevin Sumlin was fired, but changed his mind when Jedd Fisch was hired. He may have been Arizona’s best player in the spring.
COLORADO
RB Jarek Broussard, junior. Coming off an knee injury in 2019, Broussard turned into one of the nation’s top running backs last season. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound back was third nationally with 149.2 yards per game, finishing with 844 yards and three TDs in five games. Don’t expect a drop-off this season.
OREGON
DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, junior. Thibodeaux was a disruptive force as as a sophomore and earned third-team All-American honors by The Associated Press. He had 9.5 tackles for loss in seven games last season and was dominant in the Pac-12 Championship game, pressuring the quarterback 12 times and finishing with two tackles for loss.
OREGON STATE
OL Joshua Gray, sophomore. Gray had a solid freshman season, earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors. The 6-foot-4, 304-pounder was part of an offensive line that helped Jermar Jefferson rush for nearly 900 yards in seven games. He will be a key part of a line that returns all five starters.
UCLA
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, senior. Thompson-Robinson was expected to be the player who would help turn the Bruins around, but hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. He has been plagued by turnovers — 30 in 24 career games. But Thompson-Robinson is coming off his most efficient season at UCLA, throwing for 1,120 yards and 12 TDs while completing 65% of his passes.
USC
QB Kedon Slovis, junior. Slovis had a superb freshman season, throwing for 3,502 yards and 30 TDs. Last season, he struggled with injuries and arm fatigue that led to some wobbly passes and a loss in confidence. Slovis has spent the offseason working on his mechanics to avoid fatigue and could be one of the nation’s best quarterbacks as a junior.
UTAH
QB Charlie Brewer, senior. Brewer threw for more than 9,000 yards and 65 TDs at Baylor before deciding to transfer. He’s looked sharp in spring practices and will compete with Cam Rising for the starting job in the fall.
WASHINGTON
LB, Edefuan Ulofoshio, Jr. The Huskies were expecting big things from Ulofoshio this season and will rely on him even more after Zion Tupuola-Fetui was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. Ulofoshio had 47 tackles, two recovered fumbles and a sack in four games last season.
WASHINGTON STATE
OL, Cody O’Connell, senior. One of the nation’s best offensive linemen is back for a final season in his home state. The 6-foot-9, 368-pounder was a consensus All-American last season and was on the AP second team in 2019. He is one of the favorites to win the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top offensive lineman.
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